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The original post was made 2 months ago to celebrate my blog’s birthday! Buuut, the HYH! members don’t speak portugueses AT ALL, so I decided to publish the interview in english too.

I’m very glad to be the first person in Brazil (maybe in South America too) who ever interviewed this marvelous band!

The Hold Your Horse! is formed by seven members, who were very cute and answered my email in just 2 days! Also agreed to do a virtual interview, which you see below.

*Oh yeah! Charles who answered the questions*

Igor, Florence e Robin

Here we go:

1. How did you meet?

Flo (the drummer) and I started a band in London, and then moved to Paris at the same time and decided to continue and start another band. Musicians came and went, and the current line-up is a sum of all the ways you can find musicians for a band : some joined after seeing posters put around buildings, some joined after seeing ads on the internet, some joined because they were friends with some members, some joined after we saw them play in other bands and asked them to join. So there is no definite rule ! However for the most part, we didn’t know each other before forming the band (which doesn’t mean we’re not happy with the fact that we now know each other !)

2. How and when the band started?

The band as it exists today has been working for about two years in Paris. We began playing concerts in tiny bars and slowly made a name for ourselves and started playing, slowly but surely, in bigger venues. There’s still a lot of work to be done though!

3. I believe you are known throughout France, but do you do concerts outside the country?

To be honest we are not that famous (ahah). I think the people who are interested in independent music know us or know about us, but we have not gone beyond that yet. We do not pass on the radio or the TV, and we aren’t stars at all.

We would love to play outside of France. Right now we are organizing a tour in the US for this summer (10-24 August) on our own, but it will be our first experience outside of France. Hopefully soon it will happen more and more. We shall see !

4. Already have some album?

On Itunes you can find an EP which we recorded on our own in 2008 and the song 70 Million, all of which were self-released. We hope to one day release more music, and are working towards that end as we speak, but we can’t give you any details unfortunately, because we don’t know either!

6. Which music of HYH! Is the favorite of each?

That’s a good question. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but personally it changes a lot. And often, the newest one becomes my favorite one to play until a newer one is written: it remains exciting that way!

7. Catherine is new in the band? I have not seen her in 70 million videoclip…

Catherine is actually not a new member in the band, but an old member of the band. She used to play the trumpet with us, but left to pursue her ideas in film, and was thus replaced by Igor (who plays the trumpet, the bugle, the tuba, the clarinet and the musical saw !) Catherine is one of the founding members of the production company who imagined and produced our video for 70 Million, and she is also Flo’s sister: she might not be in the band anymore, but she remains a good friend to us.

8. Where did the idea of the 70 Million clip came from?

The idea is unfortunately not ours. We wish it were, but it just isn’t so. We shot this video with a young production company called ‘L’Ogre’, and the idea of adapting famous paintings comes from the video’s director, David Freymond. We merely said yes and accepted hours of painstaking make up sessions.

9. How is the creative process of you?

VERY long ! We’re a very democratic band, where every idea is treated as equal and discussed at length. We also all come from very different musical backgrounds, so we have many influences in everything we do. So the creative process is very long, but very rich and full of good surprises. We have one song, unreleased as of yet, which took approximately 6 months to write. Thank god that is not always the case or we would release a record every 12 years (ahah).

10. How do you classify your music?

We call it ‘polyphonic pop’, but that is mostly because we have no idea how to classify it (ahah)

11. Know anything about Brazil?

I’m not sure that any band member has ever been to Brazil, but the links between France and Brazil are pretty tight aren’t they? I am watching Rolland Garros as I write, and am reminded of the wonderful Gustavo Kuerten. We also know samba, caïpirinha, amazing futebol, Ayrton Senna, Lula, favelas, rainforests, the Christ of Corcovado etc etc ahah todo bom todo bem. Hopefully one day we will be able to come by and have a look !

12. Is this the first time you are interviewed by a Brazilian?

Indeed it is ! And it feels great, so thank you !

13. Do you receive many emails from foreign fans?

We have received some since the video came out. From Brazil, but also from Japan, Italy, Turkey, Canada, Russia etc… The reactions have really been amazing.

14. Wish to visit us soon?

Sim ! yeeeessssssssssssss ! Except if brazil wins the World Cup and defeats France this summer !

Muito brigado ! A bientôt.

Gilles, Charles, Gregory e Simon

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Now, the clip that everyone loves!

And, more two songs

That’s all international folks!